Coal conveyer



Nov. 28, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 10, 1947 INVENTOR E.C. WEBB ATTORNEY Nov. 28, 1950 Filed Feb. 10, 1947 E. C. WEBB COAL CONVEYER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.2

lNVENTOR EI.C. WEBB ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 28, 1950 COAL CONVEYER Ernest C. Webb, Bay Village, Ohio, assignor to Iron Fireman Manufacturing Company, Portland, Oreg.

Application February 10, 1947, Serial No. 727,631

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates generally to coal conveyors and particularly to the loading or coal pickup sections of coal conveyors of the screw conveyor type.

The main object of this invention is to provide a simple and efficient form of a loading section of a coal conveyor which is easy to install in connection with a coal bin and which can be serviced easily without removing the coal stored over and around the conveyor in the bin.

A second object of this invention is an improvement over any invention of a Fuel Feed Mechanism for Underfeed Stokers fully explained in U. S. Patent No. 1,967,693 issued to me on July 24, 1934 wherein my improvement allows an obstruction to be removed from the coal conveyor without the attendant nuisance of having coal pour from the bin thru the cleanout opening.

A third object of this invention is to minimize the variation in the coal feeding rate of a screw conveyor caused b the segregation by the conveyor of the larger pieces of coal at the discharge end of the loading section of the conveyor.

A fourth object of this invention is to provide a loading section of a coal conveyor with an improved form of end bearing for the conveyor screw whereby packing of coal in the bearing is prevented by continuously cleaning the bearing with the screw and whereby the bearing is provided with a converging entrance to lead the screw into its proper bearing position as the screw is advanced toward the bearing in only approximately its proper alignment with the bearing.

I accomplish these and other objects in a manner set forth in the following specification as illustrated in the following drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my loading section for a coal conveyor.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the loading section of my coal conveyor taken on the rear bearing side of the discharge section and looking towards the rear bearing end.

Fig. 3 is a broken away perspective view of the discharge end of my loading section for a coal conveyor.

Similar numerals of reference refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring in detail to the drawings there is shown the loading section of a coal conveyor driven by an electric motor thru a speed reducer of a stoker drive mechanism, not shown, and

2 delivering coal to the burning section of the stoker, not shown, through conveyor housing I by means of conveyor screw 2 which also extends through the loading sections which includes base 3, holding strap 4, end bearing 5, discharge casting 6, hand wheel bolt 1, cleanout cover 8, gasket 9 and screw 2.

Shown generally at Ill is a mass of stoker coal in a bin constructed on floor II and having rear wall l2, front wall l3, and sides not shown. My conveyor loading section is shown installed in place in the bin and held firmly in place by strap 4 fixed to floor with anchor bolts I4. Flange I5 of sheet metal bin connector I6 is sealed to the front wall of the coal bin while flange I! of bin connector I6 is sealed to flange l8 of discharge casting 6 of my loading section.

Bin discharge casting 6 includes obstruction guide 19 which with cleanout cover 8, and hand wheel bolt 1 are features of my previous Pat. No. 1,967,693. Casting 6 also includes bin connector flange [8 which cooperates with bin connector It to seal my conveyor section to bin wall l3. As part of casting 6 and extending into the bin from'fiange !8 is a partial housing formed of side members 29 and 2|, top member 22, and end bafile 23. The lower side of this housing is partially closed b guide l9. Screw conveyor shown generally as 2 has a continuous core 24, a main flight 25 extending forwardly from bafile 23, and a reduced diameter flight 26 extending rearwardly from bafile 23. Rear bearing 5 has a cylindrical bearing portion 27 and a funnel shaped entrance portion 28.

In operation flight 26 continuously scours the inner bearing surfaceof part 21 and throughout its exposed length keeps continously filled with coal from mass l0 surrounding the screw. The turning screw advances the coal within the boundary of flight 26 forwardly and tends to roll or tumble. the pieces of coal which come into contact with the flight but which have their greater portion outside the boundary of the imaginary cylinder of revolution of the flight. In this way flight 26 tends to agitate the coal in its vicinity, to load with the smaller pieces and to tumble the larger pieces forward. Before the use of my coal conveyor loading section it was common experience to find these larger pieces of coal collected in the bin at the outlet for the conveyor and limiting the discharge capacity of the screw. With my loading section these larger pieces of coal do not accumulate, but as they approach the bin outlet y P% under baflle '23 and between sides 20 and 2| of the partial housing part of casting B where they are continuously tumbled and pressed between larger flight 25, flange [8, cover 8, guide [9, sides 29 and 2 l, top 22, and bafile 23 and thus broken and forced through the bin outlet into the main conveyor housing I. It is thus seen that my coal conveyor materially reduces the normal tendency for large pieces of coal to .accumulate, but rather my loading section urges the larger pieces into a confining space where they are broken up and carried on into the main conveyor.

As clearly covered in my previous Patent No. 1,967,693, should unbreakable :pieces of ioreign matter, too large in any-dimension to .pass 'on into the main conveyor, find their way under baffle 23 the co-operating action of,flight,.2,5 and guide i9 is to cause these pieces to be urged upward along guide l9 until they become lodged against the vertical face of cover 8, at which -point the will stop the .-screw 2 from turning ,and will operate an :unlcader, .not shown, :at the stoker transmission, not shown. In this case by manually backingofi bolt J "cover :8 is released and can be liftedoutof place therebyexposing and releasing the piece of foreign matter which can then easily be removed. During this operation housing parts 28, 2t, .22 and '23 of casting 16 ,are very -:advan tageous in holding :back thecoal in the binfrom pouring-out the 'cleanout opening when cover :8 is removed.

Occasionally ;-it may be necessary to remove the coal :screw :2 from {the 'coal ,bin for ,-service or --ey amination. With my loading section ithiS can be done with a minimum of trouble ,-for;since;my coalscrew-hasyno fixed connections in the loading section it can readily be screwed out of the :coal bin by turning it oppositelyiromjtsnormal direction of rotation. ,Here'again parts 794L121, 2-2-and 23 will prevent :the coal ifrom pouring ;out on the floor :should cover 38 ;and housing {I ;be gemoyed. Again in replacing :screw ,2 ,il'ltQ its {IIOlII'lfil operating position under the coal pile my loading ,section is advantageous for it is merely necessary to insert screw 2-through casting 53 and while maintaining approximately correct alignment rotate the screw in normally operating (direc- :tion. The screw will draw itself back through :thetcoal pile, follow in on funnel'28 and proceed into cylindrical bearing 2:! displacing aany acoal which may have found its way into the space: nor- Qccunied by -the screw. :The open :rear end of bearing 2"! makes binding of the screw in the bearing practically impossible.

From the foregoing description of :my :irrventhan it is apparent that I have accomplished the objects stated above and it apparent that my invention will have utility in other analogous {uses and in forms other than that .shown. I intend to cover such terms and modifications of my invention as fairly fall within the appended claims.

I claim:

*1. A coal stoker of the type having a screw type coal conveyor in which the loading section of .said conveyor includes .a conveyor screw, an end bearing for said screw, and a bin discharge fitting, said screw having a lesser feeding rate .over that part of its length between said end ihearing andsaid fitting .thanithas over that part of its length within :said discharge fitting, said end bearing including a cylindrical section ,at its end iarthest fromsaid fittinganda conical sec- :tion diverging from its end nearest .said fitting,

sa d b n :disw n el'itting including hearing means for said screw conveyor, means for the segregation of coal and other matter not normally passable through said conveyor means for dressing said nonpassable coal to passable size and means for ready manual elimination of that part of the nonpassable matter which will not dress to passable size.

2. "A loading section of a screw type coal conveyor of a coal stoker including a conveyor screw. a bin dischargefitting, and an end bearing for said screw, said end bearing being spaced from said fitting, said conveyor screw having a greater outside diameter over that part of its length =within=said fitting and a lesser outside diameter over that part -,of its length between said fitting and said bearing, said smaller diameter flight journalinginrsaid bearing, said bearing having a cylindrical bearing portion open at both ends and "a flaring entrance portion at the end of said bearing portion nearest said fitting.

'3. A coal'stoherof the type having-a screw type coal conveyor in which the loading section of said conveyor includes a conveyor screw and a bin discharge fitting, said screw having a greater "volumetric capacity throughout that part 'of its length surrounded by the bin discharge "fitting than it -does over that part of its 'length'in the loading section not surrounded by the bin discharge fitting, said bin discharge fitting including bearing means for said conveyor screw, obstruction-guiding means whereby foreign matter which does not pass normally through said discharge fitting will be guided to a position within said fitting where it is readily removable, removable cover means for allowing ready access to said segregated foreign matter, and confining means for retaining larger pieces of coal within said bin discharge fitting until said large pieces are broken up by the co-operative action of said screw and said confining means.

a. In a coal burning system, a coal bin and a 'screw type coal conveyor for removing coal therefrom, said coal bin comprising a boundary wall with a hole thereth-rough, said coal conveyor 'ex tending into said bin through said hole in said well, said conveyor comprising a conveyor screw and a conveyor housing, said conveyor housing ineluding a bin discharge section, said bin discharge section including flange means formed thereon for sealing said conveyor housing -to said wall, said conveyor housing having a wedge shaped opening in the top thereon on the side of said flange away from said bin, said screw extending into said bin beyond the end of said housing, said housing havin a roof means formed thereon over said screw and extending toward said bin from said flange whereby coal from said bin is prevented from pouring from said openmg.

5. A loading section for a screw type coal conveyer comprising a conveyor screw, a cylindrical conveyor housing, and a rear end bearing for said screw in axial alignment with said housing and spaced therefrom, the front end of said housing being cut-01f along a plane tilted on a horizontal axis perpendicular to the center line of said conveyor, the extending end or" said housing being .at the underneath side of said conveyor, an outwardly extending flange formed on said housing perpendicular to its centerline where said plane intersects said centerline, said flange above the centerline of said conveyor having a rectangular opening therein larger than said cylindrical housing, a forwardly extending open bottomed rectangular housing formed on 5 I said flange outwardly of saidopening, the front opening of said rectangular housing being partially closed by a wall formed downwardly from its top to approximately the level of said cylindrical housing, a wedge shaped cover for the opening at the rear of said flange in said conveyor housing formed by the cut-away section of said cylindrical housing and the opening in said flange, and means co-operating with said conveyor housing to keep said cover in place.

6. In combination, a coal'bin and a screw type coal conveyor for removingc0al therefrom, said coal bin comprising a boundary wall with a hole therethrough, said conveyor'e'xtending into said bin through said hole in said, wall and comprising a conveyor housing terminal member flanged for sealing with said wallja n'end bearing member secured within said bin -in axial alignment withs'a'id conveyor housihjland spaced therefrom, and a conveyor screw, said bearing member comprising a cylindrical bearing surface open into said bin through said housing terminal member.

ERNEST C. WEBB.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,882,820 Haines Oct. 18, 1932 2,092,248 Guthrie Sept. 7, 1937 2,123,802 Ream July 12, 1938 2,225,215 Guthrie Dec. 17, 1940 2,233,707

Nelson Mar. 4, 1941 

